CSIR-CCMB study links viral RNA structures to α-Synuclein amyloid formation in Parkinson’s

Researchers at CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, reported in Cell Reports that RNA viruses can form RNA G-quadruplex structures that bind to α‑Synuclein and accelerate amyloid clump formation associated with Parkinson’s disease. The study also describes a cellular response in which the helicase DDX39A relocates to the cytoplasm, binds α‑Synuclein and viral RNA G-quadruplexes, and unwinds these structures, reducing viral replication and slowing α‑Synuclein amyloid formation.